


1991

by realcreamcheese (mcal55)



Category: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The X-Files
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 07:12:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6460801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcal55/pseuds/realcreamcheese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before there was Mulder, there was her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1991

Sweat hung from Clarice Starling’s brow. Despite the hour, the Virginia sun’s heat beat down on the path and suffocating humidity was almost palpable. It made for miserable running conditions. Even with the weather, Clarice felt composed running. Her heart beat rhythmically in her chest as her feet hit the pavement beat by beat. It was like she could feel every cell in her body throb in rhythm to her heart. She could turn off her mind. The only thing she focused on were the tall oak trees towering over her casting long shadows on the ground. Her labored breathing and the crunch of her feet hitting the dirt path were the only sounds she could hear. 

She ran until she made it back to the dormitory and lied on the grass with her arms and legs spread out to her sides attempting to cool down. She lay hidden underneath the shade of a tree near the side of the dorm. Taking even, deep breaths, she closed her eyes—waiting for her body to find composure again. It was early in the morning and training had yet to start, so few others were up—leaving Clarice to herself. She grabbed fistfuls of grass feeling the early morning dew seep between her fingers.

Clarice found peace in the quiet. The dorms were loud with movement as many people were still moving in. Men yelling down corridors to friends and music blaring from radios made days chaotic and nights sleepless. 

The sound of tires rolling up to the front of the dormitory interrupted the morning calm. The car stopped, and she heard two doors slam as the occupants got out.

“This doesn’t look like a place for you, Starbuck,” a man’s voice huffed.

“Like I have told you many times before, that is not your decision,” a feminine voice snapped back. Clarice perked up. 'What kind of name is Starbuck?'

Clarice opened her eyes, raised her head, and saw a young woman with red hair walking with an older man. The girl looked no older than twenty—her porcelain face was still round and full with youth. Her hair was up in a ponytail, but a few pieces that were too short hung in front of face. Clarice watched the sway of her hips as she walked up to the front door. There was something so distinctly feminine to the girl. She didn’t think she could pick her out from a crowd, but she was unmistakably beautiful. 

“I still think joining the FBI was a mistake,” the man said.

“I still think it was a mistake that you’re helping me move in. I’m not eighteen and going to college again.” Her voiced quivered in anger. 'Good,' Clarice smirked. She would need that anger.

“I wanted to see my daughter before I threw her to the dogs,” the man snapped back. “Besides you made us come at this ungodly hour.” 

She couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation as they entered the building. Clarice felt intrigued by the new girl. The past few days she tried to go around and meet some of the other women, but she could feel this girl was different. 'She looked so goddamn innocent,' Clarice thought. 'Maybe the old man was right. Maybe this wasn’t the place for her.'  
________________________________________

Dana Scully bumped into her bed frame on the way to lie on her bed. She did not think her small, dismal room could possibly hold two people. She starred at the white brick walls. Little light came in the room from the small window and single fluorescent light.

She lay on her hard, worn mattress. Her mother would be appalled if she saw where she was living. Her apartment during med school was nothing to brag about, but this was ten times worse.

The day she told her parents she was joining the FBI was one month before she was due for training. She shook as the words spilled out of her mouth. Her mother looked at her as if she told her she had cancer, and her father stormed out of the house. Neither of them had that reaction when Bill told them he was joining the Navy.

“Hey.” A voice brought Scully from her thoughts and she quickly sat up to find the source of the voice.

“You’re going to need to be more observant than that if you want to graduate. I’ve been standing in the doorway for a good minute,” the girl said as she jumped on the bed parallel to Scully’s. “I’m your roommate, Veronica.”

The first thing Scully noticed about Veronica, besides her brutal honesty, was her crooked nose. It looked like she had broken it a while ago but never got it reset properly. Other than that, she was a completely normal looking woman: brown hair pulled into a tight pony tail, brown eyes, not exactly tall, but not noticeably short, either.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dana,” Scully replied.

“I bet it is nice to meet me,” Veronica snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scully asked confused by her answer.

“It means that there are only ten of us out of two-hundred and twenty, so you’re not going to meet a lot of us.”

Scully didn’t think that was any reason to be rude. She knew the statistics of women in the FBI.

“I know. I’m used to it though,” Scully said. She didn’t like people acting like they knew better than her. “I’ve been to med school.”

“You shouldn’t have to be used to it though,” Veronica muttered. Scully was going to ask her what she meant but someone knocked on the door before she could ask.

“Excuse me,” a husky voice interrupted. “I saw you moving in and thought I’d come and introduce myself.”

Scully looked towards her doorway and made eye contact with a woman leaning on the doorframe. Clarice extended her hand to Scully, and Scully, quick to meet it, stood up. Clarice’s hand was firm and confident in Scully’s hand as her grip tightened around the red head’s hand. They exchanged polite, warm smiles.

“Dana Scully.” 'Not Starbuck? Thank god.' Clarice didn't think the girl would make it a name like Starbuck. 

“Clarice Starling.” Scully examined the woman in front of her. Short, auburn hair framed her, sharp face. Her hair was wet; she had come right from taking a shower. Her eyes felt piercing as they gazed into her own. She was young like herself, but there was a certain sense of maturity to her that Scully knew she herself lacked. It was the maturity of someone who had felt loss before. 

Scully could smell the scent of lavender coming from Clarice’s wet hair. It dripped on her shoulders that were left bare by her tank top. Her blue eyes looked deeply into Scully’s looking for familiarity. Clarice noticed how Scully’s eyes reflected her own—something she didn’t notice in the distance.

They both fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments. Scully looked down at their combined hands and quickly let go realizing their handshake was going on for far too long. 

“So, where are you from?” Clarice asked trying to ease the new found tension in the room.

“I’m really from all over,” Scully answered glad for the distraction. “My dad’s in the Navy so I moved a lot as a kid, but I just got done with Med School in Maryland. What about you?”

Clarice felt shocked but did not let it show on her face; she looked far too young to be a doctor.

“West Virginia,” Clarice said keeping Montana closed in her heart.

An awkward silence over took the room. Scully didn’t know why but she felt overwhelmingly nervous at the moment. Words were not making their way to her mouth, and she felt her heart beating faster making her light headed.

“I’m from Nebraska. Thanks for asking,” Veronica said breaking the silence.

Scully and Clarice turned to Veronica forgetting she was in the room.

“Sorry, Veronica, I assumed you would just tell us anyways,” Clarice smirked. She turned back to face Scully. “I assume you already had the pleasure of meeting your roommate. I got here a few days ago, so I’ve had the honor of getting to know her for the past three days.”

“Back at you, Starling,” Veronica replied annoyed. Clarice rolled her eyes.

“I’ll see you around, Dana.” Clarice smiled at Scully. Taking her in again, she turned around and left leaving only the faint scent of lavender behind.

“See you around,” Scully said too late for Clarice to hear her reply.


End file.
